Is it a matter of time before Michael Chandler makes his way over to the UFC?
The former three-time Bellator World Lightweight Champion is coming off a strong knockout victory over Benson Henderson that advanced his record to 21 wins. Chandler is currently one of the top prospects on the free market and many wonder whether he’ll make the transition over to the UFC to fight names such as Justin Gaethje or Khabib Nurmagomedov.
During the post-fight conference for UFC 252, Dana White himself may have answered that question as the UFC President was very complimentary of the MMA veteran and noted that he would love to meet him (Transcript courtesy of MMA Junkie):
“I would love to meet with him,” White told reporters. “Yeah. The guy’s earned it, man. I would love to meet with him.”
Chandler has stated previously that he would like to make the transition over to the UFC in a recent interview; however, the lightweight also named ONE Championship as a potential landing spot as well:
“I’m excited about the possibilities,” Chandler said. “We know all my different possibilities. Fighting in the UFC and fighting [Justin] Gaethje and I know I could be the guy that could go out there and beat Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. Fighting a Conor [McGregor], fighting these guys.
“Then there’s the possibility of finishing the trilogy with Eddie [Alvarez]. ONE FC is doing some amazing stuff. They’re coming back and growing and putting on great shows. Then you’ve got the PFL tournament where you win a million dollars fighting in a tournament. There’s a lot of awesome possibilities but it doesn’t change the fact that the main focus of my life right now is staying healthy to get to Aug. 7 and then putting on a great performance just like I always do.”
As always, we’ll keep you updated when Chandler transitions to the next phase of his MMA career.